Developmentally Appropriate Practice In Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8

This book represents the early childhood profession's consensus definition of developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. It is intended for use by teachers, administrators, parents and policy makers.

The long-awaited new edition of NAEYC's book Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs is here, fully revised and updated! Since the first edition in 1987, it has been an essential resource for the early childhood education field. Early childhood educators have a professional responsibility to plan and implement intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences that promote the social and emotional development, physical development and health, cognitive development, and general learning competencies of each child served. But what is developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)? DAP is a framework designed to promote young children's optimal learning and development through a strengths-based approach to joyful, engaged learning. As educators make decisions to support each child's learning and development, they consider what they know about (1) commonality in children's development and learning, (2) each child as an individual (within the context of their family and community), and (3) everything discernible about the social and cultural contexts for each child, each educator, and the program as a whole. This latest edition of the book is fully revised to underscore the critical role social and cultural contexts play in child development and learning, including new research about implicit bias and teachers' own context and consideration of advances in neuroscience. Educators implement developmentally appropriate practice by recognizing the many assets all young children bring to the early learning program as individuals and as members of families and communities. They also develop an awareness of their own context. Building on each child's strengths, educators design and implement learning settings to help each child achieve their full potential across all domains of development and across all content areas.

This volume spells out more fully the principles undergirding developmentally appropriate practice and guidelines for making decisions in the classroom for young children.

This book represents the early childhood profession's consensus definition of developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. It is intended for use by teachers, administrators, parents and policy makers.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Popular author Ann Lewin-Benham draws on her experience with the Reggio Approach to present 12 "best practices" inspired not only by Reggio, but also by play-based and Montessori approaches to early childhood education. These practices are demonstrated, one per chapter, with scenarios from classrooms, dialogues of children and teachers, and work samples showing the outcome of using each practice. This resource includes a self-assessment tool to assist you in examining your practices and those of your school.

Case studies provide real-world examples that make for rich discussions and greater learning in educational and professional development settings. Engage with case studies on developmentally appropriate practice to enhance your knowledge and skills. Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) requires a nuanced understanding of child development, individual children, and the social and cultural contexts of children, families, and educators. This casebook presents nearly 50 cases addressing infancy through third grade and across multiple, diverse settings. Written and edited by teacher educators, researchers, classroom teachers, and other early childhood professionals, these cases offer unique opportunities for critical thinking and discussion on practice that supports all children and families. The cases are organized into eight parts that reflect the six guidelines of DAP plus the topics of supporting children with disabilities and supporting dual language learners. Brief overviews of each guideline and the additional topics set the stage for study of the cases. Each case provides an opportunity to Make connections to the fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Think critically about the influence of context on educator, child, and family actions Discuss the effectiveness of the teaching practices and how they might be improved Support your responses with evidence from the DAP position statement and book Explore next steps beyond the case details Apply the learning to your own situation Use this book as a companion to the fourth edition of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs in higher education coursework, as professional development in programs, or for stand-alone study.